Internet fraud and cybercrimes are both tremendous problems. The FBI has dedicated sites to address these problems as well as guidance for computer users to protect themselves. Given the extent and diversity of the various cybercrime and fraud schemes, the government has had difficulty estimating exactly the extent of the crimes. Complicating this assessment is the fact that cybercrimes are international, and originate from outside U.S. borders.
Furthermore, there is no system to verify if a “merchant” hosting a website on the internet is legitimate and reliable.